


Evolutionistically Yours

by vimtagerecord



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: (mentions of pedophelia but it's a very small part of the plot), Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of Blood, mentions of assault, physical fighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-17 20:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16103384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vimtagerecord/pseuds/vimtagerecord
Summary: Childhood best friends Dan and Phil see each other again almost 8 years later without speaking after Phil cut himself off due to family tragedy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Punch your lights out  
> Hit the pavement  
> That's what I call entertainment  
> Causin' problems makes you famous  
> All the violence makes a statement

    "Chris, are you _sure_ this is the place he hangs out?" Phil questioned as he paced around the cramped alley way. He riskily decided to skip the last day of school for this mess of a situation. "Positive, Phil. I did my research on this guy. It wasn't even that difficult to find the spot, he's so god damn obvious". Chris let out a breathy chuckle, It was a dubious attempt at lightening the mood. In reality, he and Phil both were livid about the entire thing. The man they were waiting for had groped Chris' younger cousin while on her way to secondary school. Fortunately, yet unfortunately for the man in particular, Chris had witnessed the offense occur before he disappeared and made it his goal to give him what he deserved. 

     It was Phil who spotted him first. There was no mercy in his next actions. Tense knuckles collided with abrasive skin as the offender crashed into the brick wall behind him. He seemed taken aback and confused until Chris made the second punch, square at the side of his jaw. "You really thought you'd be fine when you touched a 13 year old girl, right? Fuck that." He made a third hammering punch, this time aiming directly in the middle of his stomach. Phil continued by throwing out harsh kicks and several more hits until the man was barely recogniseable. Phil had never felt this liberated in months. He was high off of adrenaline and anger and didn't feel like stopping any time soon, although he knew he had to at some point.  

    Chris was, surprisingly, the one who ended the whole encounter. "Don't kill him just yet. I'd rather him suffer longer, if I'm honest." The criminal looked up at the both of them, exhausted and torn up, but grateful. "Right mate, fuck off. Hope you won't see either of us again." Chris threatened. 

    The offender scrambled back onto his feet and his right foot limped with the rest of his body as he ran off. Phil took a deep breath and glanced over toward the open space at the end of the alley. It turned out that he and Chris were unsuccessful in their efforts to stay discreet as he caught a head of curly auburn hair vanish out of sight almost immediately after being spotted. It seemed familiar, but Phil passed it off. 

    Apparently he had been staring for a bit too long as Chris nudged his shoulder. "You alright man? See anyone there?" "Uh, no. Just zoning out, I guess." he lied. Chris took the sloppy excuse and dragged him on back to the open city road. "Come on, then. We're meeting Riv and Ari for lunch at Nando's". 

    Little did Phil know.

 

-

 

    Dan missed the bus that day, so he decided he'd rather walk the 3 kilometers to school in order to not be the subject of another one of his parents' screaming matches. Not that he would avoid hearing them at all, though, even if it wasn't about him.

    He'd been about a half kilometer away from the school when a slight rustling sound caught his attention as he neared a tapered alleyway. Dan chose to investigate the noise. and soon after looking into the area, he witnessed a man being slammed to the ground with an deafening thud. He attempted to get a bit of a closer look. He didn't really identify the victim at all, but became physically uncomfortable as the man was becoming disfigured by the two men beating him down.

    What made it ten times worse was that he recognised the voice of one of them. Sure, it did sound deeper than he remembered, but he knew almost instantly who it was. This voice belonged to Dan's childhood best friend, Phil, and he'd never in a million years imagine Phil, of all people, hurting another. This was certainly not the most welcoming way to see someone he cared about so much be this volume after not knowing him for nearly eight years. He couldn't comprehend the scene in front of him and contemplated moving away, but he was frozen in place. This boy's mind was running races in world-record timing. He hadn't seen the eldest one in so long, and reality was hitting him smack in the face.  _Why was he doing this? What if Phil found out he was watching? Would he hurt Dan, too?_   Dan snapped out of his stress-induced trance as he observed Phil glancing in his direction. He ran. 

    He ran as fast as his legs would allow. He hoped Phil didn't see him.

 

-

 

    Several minutes later, Dan was a couple of blocks away from the scene. At this point, he was way past the school and had already made the decision to go truant for his last day. He hated missing school, but he needed to get away and relax; school would be too much of a chaotic environment for him.

    Dan slowed himself down as he came across a Nando's building located in between some hole-in-the-wall coffee shop and a pet store. It wasn't entirely much better than going into school, but it was really all he had. It was a definite that he couldn't go back to his house at this time, so he compromised on this place and walked in. 

    The sixteen year old  found himself in a bathroom cubicle that was far too enclosed for his wide frame. He had rung Louise, his very close internet friend who recently moved to London as soon as she'd turned eighteen so they'd be able to see each other more often. "I just don't understand, Lou... when I knew him, he was like, this ray of sunshine, he wouldn't hurt a fly. I really have no idea what happened to him. He cut me off suddenly and I know nothing about what happened, unfortunately." "Daniel," she began, as her voice echoed through the walls, narrowing around Dan. "I honestly can't give you much advice, as I've never been in a situation like this before, but I suggest you try to let it go. You can't prevent what happened and I feel like you're going to make yourself worry more than you need to.This whole thing isn't your problem to get down about. Plus, you haven't seen that boy in years, it's best not to get involved in something you've got no business being involved in. I really do care for you and your wellbeing, and just knowing how you get, I'd rather you not stay in your head about it, yeah?" Dan sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just hard to comprehend it." He might as well have accepted it then, but he knew it shouldn't be affecting him as much as it did. Surely, after this long, the crush would have gone?

    The main bathroom entrance interrupted his thoughts as it creaked open. He couldn't be having this conversation with a stranger in the room. 

    "Louise," he brought his tone down to an anxious whisper. "I've got to go, love you loads." The boy hung up abruptly with no further explanation and scrambled to leave his cubicle. As he opened the unnecessarily noisy door, he noticed it. Standing directly in front of him, was Phil Lester himself. So much for not trying to think about the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1,228 words. Follow me on twitter at @virgoditl!


	2. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is again yet it stings like the first time  
> Seems it never ends, double nickels on your dime  
> I thought we were friends, I guess it just depends who you ask  
> These feelings tend to leave me with a hole in my chest

    Dan was stuck in disbelief like glue. Of all the fucking places, Phil Lester just _had_ to show up in this restaurant. Dan thought he was safe considering the fact he was relatively far away from that alley, oh, but how wrong he was. 

    The both of them just sort of stood there and awkwardly stared at each other. It was Phil who broke the silence first as Dan was too paralyzed to say the first word. "Dan," he paused. "How have you been?"

    No hesitation now, Dan thought. "I don't know, Phil. Considering how you essentially abandoned me in one of the worst times of my life and I just saw you beat up some random guy, not too well." the brunette snapped back. He almost immediately regretted his words, but he unfortunately knew them to be true and Phil knew it, too. He isolated himself when his mum died and refused to speak to anyone about what happened, not even his best friend. He stopped talking to Dan in one of the most crucial times in his life. His friend was beginning to realize his sexuality while also dealing with relentless bullying and rejection by his parents on the horizon. Phil had been so selfish, and he should have discussed it with Dan instead of leaving him out to dry on a rack with no hope. 

    The teenager in his presence was impatiently awaiting his response. Phil needed to apologize. "I'm really sorry, Dan. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve me walking out like I did. I cut myself off after mum died, I should have told you." Dan's breath hitched. "Kath died?" he asked. Phil somberly nodded in response. The brunette finally understood, after all these years, why Phil left, but this entire situation seriously sucked. Without even thinking, the younger boy reached out for a hug and cradled his head into Phil's shoulder. 

    _It's been a long time_ , he thought. Phil fell into the nostalgic embrace. He missed this, he missed his best friend. He missed Dan. 

    The older one broke away before his emotions could get the best of him. He couldn't risk anyone seeing him like this. "For the record, that guy _was_ a pedophile." Dan pulled away and gazed up at his friend. That was the Phil he knew. The caring Phil who'd do anything to protect others but also make things funny in the worst situations. "You still do that." "Do what?" Phil questioned. The boy in front of him chuckled. "That thing you do when you feel like you have to make a joke to loosen up the mood. I still love that about you, and the fact you were actually brave enough to beat a guy up." 

    Dan was in over his head again. He absolutely could not live without this boy in his life. 

    "Oh, shut up. I'm just glad I get to see you again, Dan." "Me, too." he answered. 

    Phil stepped back and began making his way toward the handicap stall. It had more room, and Dan was an idiot for not realizing that. He rolled his eyes subconsciously. 

    "D'you wanna hang out sometime? I'll write down my number real quick." Before Dan could even answer, Phil had already taken out a miniature pen and a sticky note from the shoulder bag slung on his arm and began writing down his telephone number. A hint of burning redness crept up to Dan's cheeks as he gripped the piece of paper from the other's hands. "See you soon, then?" Phil asked. "Definitely." Answered Dan.

    

-

 

    After Dan left the building, he reached into his front pocket for his iPhone. Frantically, he scrolled through the contacts and clicked on his best mate's name. 

    "Louise, you're never going to believe this." Louise sighed in what seemed like annoyance. "Meet me at my flat in 20. Speak then." She then abruptly hung up while Dan was left to figure out his way to his friend's house on his own.

 

-

 

    Dan somehow managed to find his way to Louise's building. Why he didn't use Google maps, he doesn't know. Just a bit slow, he supposed; he's very absent minded when stressed, apparently. He found her door and sauntered inside. He was over so often that at this point, he practically owned the place. The older woman just glared at him, but in a somewhat playful demeanor. "What foolish thing did you get up to this time, Daniel?" "Dunno. Might've fucked around and spoke to 'im." Louise's eyes widened as she tugged her friend down onto the sofa. "You what?"  "Spoke to Phil. You know, the weird dude that was fighting some guy in an alleyway." The woman next to him cradled her face in her hands at that. "You bloody dumbass. I thought we discussed that that's _not_ what you were going to do." Dan grinned. "Yeah, I totally forgot everything we talked about for like, ten minutes. Got his number, though." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, my lord. I can't even look at you without wanting to laugh in your face. You're such a muffin. Do you even hear yourself when you speak?" He chuckled."Not usually."

    Louise shifted around so that she was more comfortable. "Right. So, tell me what you've gone and done, then."

 

    Dan explained the entire situation to her in around 15 minutes. In that time, she'd made them both a pot of pumpkin spice flavoured instant coffee. "So, you think you fancy him, yeah?" Louise pressed. The boy beside her stirred his drink around. "Maybe. It's only been a day. I think that there was something there when he left, so it could be lingering, I guess?" Louise dramatically rushed to the middle of the lounge as to make a scene. "God, there's no going back for Dan Howell! Once he's got his mind set on something, everyone is left in his wrath! The humanity!" He chucked a pillow at her head. "Hey! That hurt, you twat." "Serves you right." Dan laughed. This was fun, but they needed to figure out what exactly his plans were with this. Phil _seemed_ straightforward enough, but was he actually serious about hanging out some time?

    "You should text him, like now. You've already missed the last day of school, and you're starting sixth form later this year. Why not get summer off to a decent start?" Louise proposed. Dan fumbled back and forth with his thumbs through her proposal. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, but I don't really know what to say." "I dunno, just say you'd like to get coffee or something?" He sighed at his best friend. "Alright, fine. If this backfires, It's on you." "Sure, but it won't."

    Dan fished around his pockets for the sticky note Phil gave him, but the only thing there was a crumpled up gum wrapper. He started to panic. He must have lost it on his way to the flat. "Lou," "You're kidding me, right? You can't have lost the paper already!" She and Dan both began to hectically search for it. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. "Shit me. There goes that." Dan shouted. "Don't be so abhorrent. We could go through the white pages? Retrace our steps? If worse comes to worst, he lives here, you might be able to run into him?" "Fat chance. I haven't run into him for 8 years." "Oh." The realization set in. They wouldn't be able to find him, especially in a city as large as London. Louise's phone rang, and for a moment, Dan had hope, but he knew Phil couldn't possibly have her information. She answered it, despite the problem at hand. Louise and her pointless need to not ignore people. Dan couldn't imagine answering his phone for anyone other than her or his mum, and maybe Phil, if he ever did call. 

    "Chris, what are you up to? Shouldn't you be at school?" Dan only heard a muffled voice coming from the speaker. "I- yeah, sure. When?" The voice spoke again. "Right. Sounds good. See you then." She hung up and stared Dan down for a moment. "Erm. My mate wants me to meet him and a friend for smoothies in an hour, bad day, he said. You want to come? Like, to get your mind off of things for now?" Dan groaned. "Uh, yeah, I suppose. I'm going to sleep while you get ready." "Okay. I'll make sure you're up before you reach comatose." Dan snorted at that. It wasn't even that funny, but Louise brightens his mood. "Sounds good. I appreciate you, see you in an hour." He made his way through to Louise's bedroom and into her bed. She never really minded if he slept there. It was nice, especially as his own bed was not nearly this comfortable. He was pretty tired, considering the circumstances. He hoped that they'd see Phil while they were out. Maybe. Hopefully.

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1,492 words. Follow me on twitter at @virgoditl. See you all soon!


End file.
